Thursday; November 22
While days of Thanksgiving had been celebrated around the nation for almost a century, it wasn’t until 1863 that President Abraham Lincoln sought to make it a national holiday. In his proclamation, President Lincoln reflected on the gracious gifts from God, then stated, “ It has seemed to me fit and proper that they should be solemnly, reverently and gratefully acknowledged as with one heart and one voice by the whole American People. I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens.” This statement, in-and-of-itself, is challenging; but it’s true power comes to light considering what was happening on the North American continent in 1863. In the midst of an uncivil war, Americans were called to collectively offer thanks t